Airplane Is An 'Exact Replica' Of The Jet, But With Modern Engines

Tyler Pounds Regional Airport (KTYR) in Tyler, TX, has the distinction of being the first stop on a tour debuting what the Collings Foundation calls an "exact replica" of the German Messerschmidt Me 262. The Collings Foundation’s Messerschmidt Me 262 “White 1” will be visiting several stops on the Wings of Freedom tour throughout 2013 for display and available for training and type rating flights. The airplane will be on display at the Historic Aviation Memorial Museum / Tyler Pounds Regional Airport in Texas, through the weekend.

This world-class replica will be flying in from its current base at the Foundation’s Houston facility in Ellington Field. After the first stop in Tyler, the foundation plans to take it to Frontiers of Flight Museum at Dallas Love Field, then to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

According to The Collings Foundation's newsletter, the official grand debut will be held at Scottsdale Airport on Friday, April 12th. This stop is particularly significant as it is somewhat of a homecoming for this extraordinary venture. The late Judge Lou Werner who lived in the Scottsdale area started the Me 262 “White 1” project. Judge Werner had spent years invested in seeing this iconic jet aircraft take to the skies before donating the plane to the Collings Foundation in 2008. Judge Werner’s family will be on hand to see the plane in its most pristine condition flying in his memory.

For the first time in history, the Collings Foundation will be offering unusual attitude / upset training and type rating flight programs in the Me 262 at certain Wings of Freedom tour locations or the Foundation’s Houston facility. Certain prerequisites exist to qualify.

(Image courtesy The Collings Foundation)

FMI: www.collingsfoundation.org